Reclining-chair



F. LENARD.

RECLINING CHAiR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. II, 1919.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

amewto 1 1/ e zzard.

E". LENARD.

RECLINING CHAIR- APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11, i919.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- FERDINAND LENARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RECLINING-GHAIR.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

Application filed January 11, 1919. Serial No. 270,664.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND LENARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reclining-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to reclining chairs, and more particularly to that type in which the back is mounted for swinging adjustment and in which means is provided for holding the back in its various positions of angular adjustment and for swinging the back forwardly when the holding means 1s released; and it is one object of the present invention to generally improve and simpli the construction of the back holding and swinging means and the means whereby the holding means may be rendered inactive.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the holding means for the back that the back will be securely held when adjusted to the desired reclining position and will not be likely to be released, the said means at the same time being so constructed that it may be readily and conveniently actuated by-the occupant of the chair when it is desired to render it inactive and permit of further angular adjustment of the back. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair provided with the improvements embody ing the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical front to rear sectional view through the rear portion of the chair; Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the various elements of the device embodying the invention;

Fig. 4: is a perspective view illustratlng a modified form of pawl;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section illustrating a modified'form of rack; I

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective vlew illustrating a modified form of rock lever;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 illustrating astill further modification of the rock lever.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

In the drawings the invention is illustrated as embodied in the construction of a chair of'well-known Morris type although it' Will be understood that the principles may find embodiment in reclining chairsof. other types. The seat of the chair isin vided the pawl and rack members provided,

for holding the chair back at adjustment, or.

suitable housing panels such as illustrated in the drawings and'indicated by the numeral 5 may be provided at each sideof the chair seat for this purpose. The nearer panel in Fig. l is removed to give a view of'the mechanism contained within the housing.

The rear'legs of the frame of the chair and the side boards 2 are connected by a cross piece indicatedby the numeral 6 and the back of the chair-is hingedly connected. as indicated by the numeral 7 at the lower corners with the cross piece 6, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings, so that the back may have swinging adjustment as ordinarily in chairs In order to hold the back in its various positions of adjustment, there is provided a pawl and rack device one form of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, anda modified form in Fig. 5. In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the racks are indicated in general by the numeral 8 and arein the form of a segment of wood'or any other suitable material, each having the general shape of a semi-circle and bolted or otherwise secured as indicated by the numeral 9 at its chordal edge to the respective side member of the back 4, there being two of these racks, one located at each side of the chair. The racks 8 are so positioned that the pintles of the hinges 7 will be located concentrically with relation to the arcuate edges of the racks and ofcourse the, racks move with the back when the back is swingingly adjusted. In this form ofthe invention each rack is formed in its arcuate edge with a number of sockets 10, and'an arcuate facing bar 11 of metal is secured to this edge of each rack and is formed with openings 12 which register with the open ends of the respective sockets 10. These bars 11 serve of course to protect the wooden bodies of the .racks when the racks are engaged by the pa-wls. The rack shown in Fig. 5 ofth'e drawingsis in all essential details identical with-the rack shown in'Figs. land 2 and of this type.

above described except that this modified form of rack, indicated by the numeral 13, is of metal and in the nature of a segmental frame, the arcuate side of the rack being formed with a number of openings 14 corresponding to the openings 12 and sockets 10 in the previously described form.

The numeral 15 indicates a rock shaft which is journaled at its ends in the side members 2 of the frame of the chair, either in openings or sockets formed in the opposing faces of these side members or in suitable bearings, secured upon the said faces of the side members, and this rock shaft carries the pawlsv which are to coact with the racks. There are of course two of the pawls provided and these pawls, indicated in general by the numeral 16, are in the nature of rods each reduced at one end as at 17 and fitted through an opening 18 formed in the shaft 15 and riveted as indicated by the numeral 19. The opposite or outer end of each pawl is bent to project rearwardly thus forming a tooth 20 which may enter any of the sockets 10 through the openings 12 or, in the case of the modified form of rack shown in Fig. 5, may enter any of the openings let. It will be evident by reference to the drawings that when the shaft 15 is rocked in a forward direction, the pawls 16 will be simultaneously moved away from the racks so as to permit of angular adjustment of the back of the chair to the desired osition, and on the other hand when the s aft 15 is swung rearwardly, the pawls will be moved into engagement with the respective racks to hold the chair back in its positions of adjustment. It is stated above that the rods comprising the pawls 16 are reduced at their ends and fitted through openings in the shaft 15 and then riveted down so as to be secured in place, but if desired the wall of the opening in the shaft may be threaded and the inner end of each pawl may be threaded as shown in Fig. 4: of the drawings and as indicated by the numeral 21 and screwed into the respective threaded opening in the shaft. In fact there are many ways in which the pawls may be secured to the shaft. Fig. 5 of the drawings, for example, illustrates a construction in which the inner end of the pawl is reduced and squared as indicated by the numeral 22 and fitted into a correspondingly shaped opening in the shaft, a nut 23 being applied to the threaded extremity of the pawl to secure the same in place. 1

It is of course desirable that the back be automatically raised when the pawls have been disengaged from the racks, and in order that this may be accomplished, springs 24 are provided at each side of the chair and each is connected at its upper end to the respective rack 8 and at its lower end to the respective side board 2 of the chair frame,

the tendency of these springs being of course to pull downwardly upon the racks and thereby cause forward swinging movement of the back of the chair when the pawls are disengaged from the racks. Of course rearward swinging movement of the back may be effected by the occupant of the chair leaning backwardly.

In order that the shaft 15 carrying the pawls may be rocked in a forward direction so as to move the pawls out of cooperative engagement with their respective racks, without requiring the occupant of the chair to leave the same, means is provided which will now be described.

The numeral 25 indicates a short arm which is secured in any suitable manner to the shaft 15 near one end thereof, preferably the right hand end, andthis arm extends rearwardly and is provided at its outer end with an eye 26 with which is pivotally engaged an eye 27 at the lower end of a connecting link 28. At its upper end this link is pivotally connected as at 29 to one end of a rock lever 30 mounted upon a suitable bracket 31 upon the underside of the right hand arm of the chair, these parts being contained in the housing 5 at the said side of the chair. The numeral 32 indicates a finger piece in the form of a push button which moves within an opening 33 in the said arm of the chair and this button is provided with a shank 34 which is pivoted at its lower end as at 35 to the other end of the rock lever 30. It will now be evident that by pressing downwardly upon the push button 32, the lever 30 will be rocked so as to pull upwardly upon the connecting link 28 and thus rock the shaft 15 in a forward direction to move the pawls out of engagement with the respective racks. In order to automatically return the shaft to its normal position and with the pawls in engagement with the racks, a spring 36 is connected at one end to the eye 26 of the arm 25 and at its other end to the respective side board 2 of the chair frame and pulls downwardly upon the said arm 25. It will be understood of course that the push button 32 will lie approximately flush with the upper face of the arm of the chair when the arm is not upholstered but that should the; arm be upholstered the button will of course extend higher to permit of its being depressed when adjustment of the back is desired. If it is not desired to employ the button, the lever arrangement shown in Fig. 6 may be made use of in which arrangement the rock lever is provided at its rear end with a smalllaterally projecting finger piece in the form of a handle 37 which will lie beneath the arm of the chair where it, however, may be readily engaged and pushed downwardlyfor the purpose of rocking the arm. It will also be understood that if desired the position of the lever 30 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings may be reversed, or in other words the connecting link 28 may be connected at its upper end to the rear end of the lever 30 and the push button might be connected with the forward end of the said lever thus bringing the button more to the forward end of the chair arm.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 7 the rock lever 30 is pivoted at one end as at 38 to a bracket 31 heretofore described, and the link 28 is pivotally connected at its upper end as at 39 to the said lever 30 at a point between the ends thereof, the free end of thesaid lever being preferably recessed in its under side as indicated by the numeral 40 to form a finger piece for the engagement of the finger in lifting the lever so as to exert an upward pull upon the link 28 for the purpose of rocking the shaft 15 to move the pawls out of engagement with the racks.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a chair having a back hinged at the rear of the seat, the combination with housings beneath the arms, and segmental racks secured to the back with their arcuate edges curved around its hinges; of a rock shaft mounted below said seat, pawls rising rigidly therefrom into said housings, an arm projecting rearwardly from the shaft, a spring bearing on the arm to rock the shaft and normally engage the pawls with said racks, a rock lever pivoted within one housing and having a finger piece projecting adj acent the chair-arm, and a link connecting the lever with said arm.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

FERDINAND LE-NARD. [n.s]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

